#chrsitian

[momentsbeforemass]

Overwhelming

Sometimes life can be overwhelming.

Not just the obvious ways. When we’re in a crisis – dealing with the death of a loved one, illness, divorce, loss of our job. Something so big that anyone who’s paying attention (and even those who aren’t) can tell that the water is coming into the boat faster than we can bail it out.

Sometimes life can be overwhelming – even when it’s not obvious.

When everything we’re dealing with starts to add up. When all of the “little stuff” gangs up on us.

We’ve got tensions in our closest relationships. We’ve got a micro-manager for a boss. And there’s a co-worker who knows how to punch our buttons. We’ve got a car that won’t stay fixed for anything. Stuff we didn’t get done is coming back to bite us. We forgot to go to the store and now there’s nothing for dinner.

By themselves, none of them are earth-shattering. But it feels like they’re working together.

Somehow, they keep adding up. To wear us down. Until they’re just as overwhelming as a major crisis.

But no matter how we get overwhelmed, the best way to handle it is the same. And it’s hidden away in today’s Gospel. Here’s what I mean.

After all of the amazing things surrounding the birth of Jesus. There’s this odd line, “and Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

And you’re thinking, “hold on – how is that overwhelming?”

Think about everything leading up to this moment, everything that Mary has been through in the last year. Visits by angels, miraculous pregnancy, strain on her relationship with Joseph, road trip while 9 months pregnant, giving birth in a barn, angelic chorus, shepherds.

Overwhelming? Yes. Because even the good stuff, even miracles can be overwhelming.

In the face of that, look at what Mary is doing.

Mary is stopping. Just for a moment. Instead of letting an avalanche of events be overwhelming, Mary is reflecting.

Mary is stopping. She’s not letting herself be pushed by the non-stop flow of events. Which is how anything, even the good stuff, can overwhelm us.

Mary is stopping. Instead of simply reacting, she’s taking a moment to just be with God. So that she can be in God’s will. Before responding intentionally.

Mary is giving us a lived example of how to keep things from becoming overwhelming. And how to hit back when they do.

She’s doing it by stopping, by breaking the non-stop flow of events.

She’s doing it by reflecting, by quietly taking a moment just to be with God.

So that she can have God’s perspective on everything that’s going on in her life.

So that she can respond intentionally, from God’s perspective.

Not because doing it with God makes it all go away or become magically better (in a few weeks, Mary and Joseph will be fleeing for their lives into Egypt). But because doing it with God keeps her from being overwhelmed.

In this new year, things will try to overwhelm you. Don’t let them.

Follow Mary’s example. And stop. Break the non-stop flow of events.

Take the time to be quiet with God and to reflect.

Then respond intentionally, from God’s perspective.

Do it with God. Not just when it’s all too much. But every day.

Today’s Readings

[many-sparrows]

Nooooo don't think about Anne Sexton's Protestant Easter, Eight Years Old during a Lenten service, ah ha ha ha!!

[whereserpentswalk]

I'm not lgbt in the sense of "Jesus would have accepted gay people too." I'm queer in the sense of "if God hates faggots then I'm on the side of Satan."

[ladymacbeth-writes-sometimes]

Me when going to Christian school

[europeansculpture]

Chrsitian KREKELS (*1942) - Le signe du scorpion, 1993

[enchantingtrash]

Can't stop thinking about her

[butch-enjoyer]

The more I learn about Christianity, the more it sounds like an apocalyptic religion.

Oh you eat your God and drink the it's blood?

You are waiting for the return of your God and it will also start the apocalypse?

[seraltphotography]

A great light dawns in Galilee Some say mad man Some say King Wonder working rebel priest Jesus Christ the Nazarene

He knew well what it would take To free us all from sin and grave A perfect man would have to die And only He could pay that price

Friday's good 'cause Sunday is coming Don't lose hope 'cause Sunday is coming Devil, you're done, you better start running Friday's good 'cause Sunday is coming

[9x19-balaclava]

Malachi 4:2

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.”

Malachi portrays the ‘sun of righteousness’ as a source of healing and joy. For those who honor God’s name, this symbolizes both physical and spiritual renewal. It emphasizes the transformative and restorative power of God’s presence. Just as the sun brings warmth and life to the earth, God’s righteousness brings healing to our souls, inspiring hope and vitality in every believer’s life.

[gospel-art-project]

[him-first]

a gentle reminder for all the believers out there: don't believe the lie that you are too far gone for God to reach you again. remember where & who you were before God. if he thought you were too much for him, if he thought you had strayed too far, then he wouldn't have reached out and saved you. what makes you believe it is any different this time around? the truth is: if you weren't too far gone without God, you aren't too far gone with God. he still loves you.

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Thoroughly Seeking & Listening To God

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK
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+ John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
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VERSE OF THE DAY 
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+ Exodus 15:26 If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.
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SUBJECT: Thoroughly Seeking & Listening To God
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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **
I AM A FRIEND OF GOD 
I AM THOROUGHLY HEARING GOD 
I AM THOROUGHLY SEEKING  GOD 
I AM DWELLING WITH GOD 
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READ TIME: 7 Minutes & 1 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:
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  Diligently means doing it thoroughly and well; sometimes, we halfway do things or don’t do them with so much heart. I wash my car every Sunday. I go through this car wash, and it shines the tires, and then I go to this spot, and I vacuum and detail it and clean the windows; I even do the back seat even though I never put anything back there. 
    When I'm done, I’m proud of what I did because my car is clean, and I love my car to smell and look clean. Some days, if I don’t feel like it, I might just let it go through the car wash. I won't do anything else, but that’s what I do; some of us don’t be thorough with our walk with God; we do things halfway. We give him half of our heart, half of our time, and don’t focus on him because we think he’ll understand or he’ll be there &&& I know he won't leave me.
     Every day, we shouldn’t fear that he won't be there because his word says, I’ll never leave you or forsake you . Still, God wants us to know we need to be thorough with what we do in our relationship with Him, be consistent with our prayer life, and be consistent with seeking him, and doing those things helps us build a relationship with God , God isn’t just a car we let go through a car wash and do half of everything , no he’s God the maker of the universe we should desire to do everything that’s required to build a relationship with him. 
  Today's verse says this: listen to God's voice thoroughly and do what is right in his sight. God sees everything, so whatever we do, he's watching us do it, good or bad, and he see when we keep his commandments. We shouldn’t just do some of them, we need to do all of them. The word tells us this.
    James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
     It says whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles with just one, is guilty of breaking them all; some of us aren’t mindful of his other laws and rules. Yes, Jesus died, so we won't have to depend on our ways, and he did away with the LAW BUT Jesus, WANTS US TO US THEM AS A —->>>guideline not to do what we want but a guideline to show us how to walk in him and how to be a person that honors God with our life. 
    God wants us to live a life free from thinking we must walk on eggshells, but we should walk in a way that pleases him. We do this by diligently seeking the voice of a God, always heeding his voice so we can get instructions about our life and day. The only way to build a relationship with God is to follow him; we might find this hard to do when we live in a way that doesn’t please God, but when we live in a way that pleases God, we don’t have to worry or be afraid all we have to do is walk in him 
  •Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

•Proverbs 16:7: When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies at peace with him.

•1 Thessalonians 2:4 But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

  The word tells us we can only please God through our faith and must believe that he exists. When we speak, it's not for man. It is to please God when we teach; our life must be pleasing to God, not everyone else; if everyone else around us doesn’t like our life and what we say and what we do, and we know our life pleases God, that’s all that matters, but we must hear from God so we can know we are at that point of pleasing him.
   Some people won’t understand your walk, they won’t understand your relationship, and that’s okay too, but we must keep doing what we know he told us to do. Just like we DON’T do exactly what everyone says to do, we should do the same with our walk with God. We should ignore the different opinions of what people say, and only hear God's voice.
   

   ***Today, we learned what God wants of us, what he requires of us, and how we can please him. We must seek him thoroughly. He must listen to him and seek him with our whole heart. Sometimes, it is hard because we have everyone telling us what to do, but we must look at his words. What did his voice say? What is he calling us to do today? God is not calling us to listen to the naysayers or to listen to everyone with a microphone; the most important thing we can do in our life right now is yield to him and not man.
    It’s hard not to listen to people we deem as important . Still, those people can have it wrong, and if we don’t bring their words before God and God tells us no or yes, we shouldn’t listen to them because the enemy can use anyone to pull us away from God. And we never want to be pulled away from God. If you’re struggling to hear his voice, you’re struggling to ignore everyone else. Ask God to give you strength and power, and he will do it. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee
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PRAYER
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Heavenly Father, we thank you for today and your mercy and grace. We asked you to strengthen us through a hard time, but God guided us. Let us hear your voice and keep us strong. Forgive us if we did anything wrong. We asked you to help us to stay focused on you and hear your voice. We give you everything, and we thank you, Father; please help us to stick with you in our hard days in Jesus' Name, Amen
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REFERENCES 
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+ Psalm 103:3 Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

+ Psalm 41:3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness, you restore him to total health. As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you

+ Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
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FURTHER READINGS 
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Proverbs 1
Leviticus 1
Jeremiah 13
Matthew 11
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[whereserpentswalk]

Imagine if our best source on what Christianity was like in the far future were adaptations of Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost. And Christiantiy was dead when these adaptations are made. There are two sets of adaptations, one that tries to convince the audience that every divine or demonic being in Christianity was actually just alien nobility. The other adaptation is more accurate but was made mostly for the perpose of trying to unite the United Kingdom and Ireland.

This is what trying to figure out anything about Norse mythology/paganism is like.

[lizziebat]

I see a lot of this on the internet where people are afraid to wear jewellery, not from a specific culture, but a religion.

Specifically crosses

And then some Christians who are like. I wanna wear the evil eye, I wanna wear crystals.

Sooo PSA from a former Christian who’s now pagan.

Crosses, absolutely, wear it if you want to regardless of if you are Christian or not.

I heard from a goth, their words not mine: it’s a powerful symbol and wearing it is a way of reclaiming it and transforming it.

The cross has been seen carved into caves literally thousands of years BEFORE Jesus. Later it was used as capital punishment for people other than just Jesus. (For longer than you’d expect…)

Anyway, it doesn’t hold any power unless you give it power. If you like medieval crosses, wear it. If a Christian comes at you, tell them to fuck. The fuck. Off.

(There is no concrete knowledge of if the Greeks of the Turks came up with the evil eye and that is not what this post is about. But for the sake of it. In Turkish culture:)

In Turkish culture the evil eye or nazar, represents protection from negative energy and bad intentions.

Thought to protect form an envious eye or jealous gaze of others, which is thought to cause misfortune or harm.

(Evil eye has mentions in Roman, and Greek texts, as well as the Bible and the Quran)

Wear it if you want, like I said it doesn’t hold power unless you give it power. But Manifestation in itself is a very powerful thing. Believing it is warding off negative negative energy, it absolutely will.

Crystals: even when I was a Christian I collected crystals and stones and learned about them cuz they’re genuinely just very pretty.

It’s again. One of those things if you don’t cleanse it and tell it what to do, it has no power.

It’s just a pretty rock and if you wanna wear a pretty rock I see nothing wrong with it. You aren’t sinning.

Christian’s and Muslims both wear crystals out of stylistic purposes and tbh I don’t see anything wrong with it and that seems to be the majority opinion.

[pulisicsgirl]

m a s t e r l i s t

requests are: closed!!

christian pulisic

flustered assessments (fluff; nursing student!reader) sleepy (fluff) holding us together (fluff; dad!christian) spaces between us (angst to fluff) his girls (fluff; pregnant!reader) ↪ [part 2] dad to the rescue (fluff; dad!christian) not going anywhere (little bit of angst, mostly fluff) favorite t-shirt (fluff)

mason mount

take care of yourself (tiny bit of angst, mostly fluff) take the pain away (fluff) this is me trying (angst to fluff) caring for you (fluff) the mixup (fluff; pulisic!reader) breathe, you're okay (angst to fluff) ↪ [part 2] silence is deafening (angst to fluff) gonna be the death of me (fluff?) christmas on my own (fluff) in my hour of need (angst to fluff)

concepts can be found here!!